Zarif says Iran attaches great importance to ties with Japan

Zarif made the comment in a meeting with his Japanese counterpart in Tehran, telling him that he hoped his visit of Iran would lead to further progress in fully successful relations between the two countries.



He said that the old-aged, good relations of Iran and Japan have never been severed despite their ups and downs, expressing hope that under the newly emerged atmosphere in Iran the two countries would facilitate the opportunity for further progress, advancement, and deepening of bilateral relations.



The Iranian foreign minister further noted, “Japan is an old and traditional partner of Iran in various economic, industrial, and cultural fields, and it is necessary that it would preserve and even strengthen its status in those fields.



He referred to the Iranian and Japanese nations’ interest in getting better acquainted with each other, and Iran’s welcoming of Japan’s more serious participation in bilateral cooperation, saying that Iran is now ready for broad and comprehensive cooperation with Japan.



Zarif referred to cooperation in economic, industrial, cultural, scientific, academic, private sector, environmental protection, energy, regional and international fields, for instance.



He also referred to Iran’s recent talks with six world powers in Geneva, describing it as very good and serious, expressing hope that relying on good and serious will the talks will bear satisfactory results for both sides.



The Iranian diplomat emphasized that the process of trust building must be two ways, referring to the Islamic Republic’s pioneering role in devising and ratification of international pacts and treaties in non-proliferation field.



“Unfortunately, despite such plain truths, the western countries resorted to imposing pressure and illegal and unjust sanctions against us, but the realities on actual scene showed that it is not possible to speak the language of threats and sanctions with the Iranian nation, as the language of respect, and prestige is the only language they well comprehend,” he said.



The Japanese foreign minister, too, said that this first visit of him as his country’s foreign minister to Iran was quite a big pride for him.



Fumio Kishida said that Iran-Japan relations date back to the Silk Road time, reiterating, “Iran is a country with a rich history and an ancient civilization, adding that Japan highly respects the great country Iran, and values its relations with it especially.



He referred to the latest status of Tehran-Tokyo relations, saying, “There are lots of potentials for bilateral cooperation which can be facilitated and we are interested in taking best advantage of the new atmosphere in expansion of relations more than ever before.



Kishida emphasized Tokyo’s interest for serious cooperation with Iran in political, economic, cultural and university students exchange, scientific, and anti-narcotics fields.

The Japanese foreign minister referred to Iran-P5+1 talks and the significance of those negotiations, expressing hope that they would lead to satisfactory results based on both sides’ efforts and good will.



He also announced Tokyo’s interest in holding continuous talks and consultations at with Tehran at foreign ministries’ deputies and managing directors levels, which was welcomed by Zarif.



Iranian Foreign Minister Mohammad Javad Zarif and his Japanese counterpart, Fumio Kishida, also issued a joint statement after their meeting, calling for improving cooperation on leading bilateral and international issues.



The statement was issued by the Iranian and Japanese foreign ministers on Sunday at the end of Kishida’s two-day official visit to Tehran.



At their official meeting, which took place upon the Iranian foreign minister’s arrival in Tehran from Geneva, the two sides exchanged views on ways to strengthen bilateral cooperation to help improve regional and international peace, the statement read.



According to the statement, the two ministers pointed to a meeting between Iranian President Hassan Rohani and Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe on the sidelines of the 68th annual session of the United Nations General Assembly in New York on September 26 and stressed the importance of expanding cordial Tehran-Tokyo relations.



It added that Zarif and Kishida voiced their readiness to bolster cooperation on consular affairs, human rights, and political issues.



They urged enhanced cultural ties between Iran and Japan and called for increased exchange of university students and professors.



The Iranian and Japanese ministers praised bilateral cooperation to dispatch financial and humanitarian aid to Afghanistan and expressed readiness to boost close cooperation to fight drug trafficking and help Afghan refugees return home.



Zarif and Kishida held a 50-minute meeting at Tehran’s Mehrabad Airport upon the Iranian foreign minister’s arrival in the country following three days of intensive nuclear negotiations with the six major world powers -- the US, Britain, Russia, China, France and Germany -- in Geneva, Switzerland.



The Japanese foreign minister arrived in Tehran on Saturday an official two-day visit to hold talks with senior Iranian officials.

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